


Healer Meets Hunter

by BlackHunter666



Series: Beckett Hunter Trilogy [1]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Ancient Interference, Disguised Reality, F/M, Hiding, Impossible romance, Secrets, hazards of the job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 15:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7393579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHunter666/pseuds/BlackHunter666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's been trained to hunt and kill, tearing through her enemies with a single-minded determination. She's earned her hard reputation and fights hard to maintain it against all comers. He's been trained to help and heal, patching up his friends as only he can. He works hard for his friends, determined to keep them safe in any way possible.</p>
<p>Fate has intervened, pulling this unlikely pair together and now they have to face the consequences of their unplanned and unexpected meeting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Setting The Scene

Emily winced as she limped slowly into her most private quarters. This was her one place left to run, the last place she could hide and recover. Here she was safe from harm, locked away from view behind the high stone walls that separated her home from so many others. Up in the Scottish highlands, far from any of her bases and stripped of everything that marked her as a wanted person. The house wasn't much to look at, rough hewn timbers and stone and a thatched roof, but at least it was home. This was her sanctuary where she could rest up and relax. The walls were decorated with whatever took her fancy; flags of all sorts, movie posters, images torn from magazines, photos. It really didn't matter to her, if she liked the look of the image, up it went. The collage was always changing, new ones would go up and old ones would come down. She smiled softly as she pulled a small lump of Blu-Tac from the big blob that sat on the table near the couch and hobbled over to the wall, tacking up a battered image of two German Shepard’s sitting on a pile of stones. They stared out into the living room amongst pictures of submarines and various other random things. 

Satisfied, she hobbled through to the bedroom, and smiled, looking around at the images. This room rarely changed in appearance, for here was where she kept all her most prized images. They were all connected to her favourite TV show, even if she didn't always have time to watch it. All four walls, floor to ceiling and right across the ceiling were covered with literally hundreds of images, photos and magazine articles about Stargate Atlantis. Familiar faces stared silently out at her from every available place. Even though the main characters all had a showing, there was one face that showed up more than anyone else. Em smiled softly as she sat on the bed and carefully yanked her boots off before stretching out, wincing as her leg protested savagely. She rubbed her eyes softly, exhausted before snuggling under the covers and rolling over; eyes glued to her all time favourite image. There was Dr Beckett, standing in his domain, smiling softly as he looked at the camera. Emily couldn't help but return the grin as she lightly traced her fingertips over his cheek, before drifting off to sleep. It was a little ritual she had and lived by it every night. 

What she didn't realise though, was that Carson was real and having these strange dreams every night. He could see the room laid out in front of him, the sleeping figure in the bed and all the pictures, but he couldn't figure out why everything seemed to be out of proportion. The woman looked huge from where he was, as though she was a giant.


	2. Three Months Later

Emily sighed as she sunk onto the bed again. She'd been back on the job for a month before she'd been shot again, this time a hit to the shoulder, leaving her right arm useless until it healed up. That was a serious problem, now she couldn't fly, couldn't drive or even fight properly so she retired to the highlands to recover in safety again.  
'At least I know ye'll never leave me Carson.' she uttered, touching the picture softly before closing her eyes, asleep in moments. Then something amazing happened; the image shimmered for a moment and suddenly the man in the picture vanished.

Carson blinked in shock as he looked around the room, already so familiar to him from his dreams. The only difference was this time; everything was the right size for him. He rubbed his eyes and sighed softly, trying to work out what was going on. This noise startled Emily and she shot to full alertness, sitting bolt upright, a gun materialising in her hand. The under barrel flashlight flared to life and Carson shied away, bringing one hand up to shield his face.  
'Who are you?' she hissed, ignoring the throbbing from her shoulder.  
'Dr Carson Beckett, who are ye?' he replied, slowly lowering his hand.  
'No, he's just a character from a TV show. Who are you really?' she snapped, thumbing off the safety.  
'I swear to ye, I am real. I don't know how I got here, but I am.' he replied, taking a half step backwards. Emily slowly lowered the gun, directing the flashlight at his feet.  
'I want to believe it's really you, but that doesn't make sense. You're from a TV show, Stargate Atlantis. I watch it when I get the time, Ronon, Rodney, Sheppard, Weir, Teyla, Radek and you.' Emily uttered, looking around the room. Carson looked around too, seeing all his friends in all their glory. Some were clearly posed shots, but others were screenshots Emily had taken while she'd been watching the DVDs she owned.  
'I assure ye, we are all real. The TV show is just a cover story. We exist and live together. When ye see someone die here, they're really gone and they're not coming back.' Carson replied softly, moving slightly closer.  
'I…trust you Carson. It's all right; you don't need to be afraid. I'm Emily Hunter. I won't hurt you, of all the Atlanteans, you are my favourite.' Emily added, switching off the flashlight and setting the gun on the table, wincing slightly as her shoulder protested.  
'I am? Why thank ye Emily, that's nice to know. Are ye all right?' he replied, moving to crouch beside the bed, smiling softly.  
'Yeah, I'll be fine. I picked a fight with the wrong guy, that's all. I mean, seriously, it's only a bullet wound. It's tough doing my job, but most days it's worth the risk. If I had to pick a top three favourites, it would be you, Radek and Ronon, in that order.' Emily grinned as she lay back down, her shoulder throbbing with much more force now.  
'Only a bullet wound?! How can ye say such a thing?' Carson asked, perching lightly on the edge of the bed.  
'Carson, when you're a Bounty Hunter, getting shot at is a daily occurrence. I've had so many now, I've lost count. In time it will heal and I'll be just fine until someone else gets off a lucky shot.' Emily explained with a slight shrug, wincing as she twitched her wounded shoulder again.  
'Will ye at least let me have a look and make sure everything is okay?' he asked kindly, smiling a little.  
'Sure, that would be nice. I got the bullet out, but anything more than that is beyond me at the moment. I have some medical training, but I need my right hand for most of that. There's a first aid kit in there.' she replied, pointing across to one of the cupboard doors. Carson nodded and rose to fetch it, smiling at various images around the room.

He set the kit down on the floor as Emily worked out of her shirt, crying out in pain as she was forced to move her shoulder to get it off.  
'Easy now, just relax and let me help ye.' he coaxed, laying his warm hand over hers. Emily smiled and nodded, letting him help her drag the shirt off.  
'Thanks Carson. I'm just so used to doing everything for myself.' she offered sheepishly.  
'Och, that's all right Emily, just lay back and let me take care of everything.' he replied softly, setting her shirt off to the side. She smiled and closed her eyes, relaxing under his gentle hands as he worked. Even though she would never admit it aloud, it was nice to have someone else take care of her for a change.

***#***#***

Emily smiled as she woke, slightly annoyed that she had drifted off while Carson was here.  
'Maybe it was all a dream.' she uttered, sitting up slowly. Three things caught her attention immediately; one, her first aid kit was beside the bed, two, her shoulder wasn't burning anywhere near as much and was neatly dressed and three, there was a small envelope sitting atop the first aid kit, her name slopping delicately across it. She reached out and carefully picked it up, smiling softly as she looked at it.  
'He wasn't a dream.' she uttered before opening it and pulling out a single page, obviously torn from a note book of sorts. It read;

Dear Emily, I don't know why I appeared to you but something tells me that I'll be back again some day. Hopefully next time you won't pull a gun on me, eh. Stay alive my highland lady, there is so much for us to talk about. I'm always watching over you. Your friend forever, Carson.

Emily smiled as she returned the page to the envelope and tucked it safely into the drawer of her bedside table.  
'Watch out for yourself Carson, no one else can live for you.' she uttered before snuggling down again, eyes drifting closed.


	3. Two Months Later

Emily was hard at work redecorating her lounge room when a bright flash of light from the bedroom caught her attention. She slowly climbed down off the chair she was standing on, careful not to make a sound as she drew one of her Desert Eagles and crept towards the half open door.  
'Emily, are ye home?' a familiar voice called. She quickly returned the gun to its holster before walking over to the door and opening it.  
'Carson, yer back.' she called, walking over to him.  
'Aye lassie, I'm back. How are ye?' he replied, smiling as she hugged him tight.  
'I'm doing all right. I was starting to think I dreamed the whole thing up.' she uttered, pulling away from him and grinning.  
'Nae, it no' a dream Emily, I'm really here, just like last time. No more injuries I take it.' he added, shrugging slightly.  
'Nae, nothing to report Carson…well, nothing serious anyway. Can I get ye a drink?' Emily asked, waving him from the room.  
'aye, tea would be lovely…hang on, it tha' a Scottish accent I detect?' he replied, stopping in his tracks as it sunk in. Emily chuckled, guiding him from the bedroom and into the kitchen.  
'Aye, tha' it is. I dinna think it was that easy to spot anymore.' Emily grinned as she made the tea, refusing to think about the ramifications of her loss of control.   
'I didn't even pick it the first time I was here.' Carson added as she set the steaming mugs down, along with cream and sugar.  
'That's because I don't let it show very often. My life is far too dangerous for such a lapse of concentration. I've got to keep the American accent on top, to keep my true identity a secret. No one can know that I'm Scottish.' Emily explained, shrugging a little.  
'I don't understand. What do ye do for a living?' Carson asked; adding cream to his tea before turning his full attention to her.  
'Like I said last time, I'm a Bounty Hunter; I make money from other peoples misfortune. If someone ticks off the government and ends up with a price on their head, I go after the money. It's rough, risky, and chaotic and can be deadly, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Over the years, I've had to learn thousands of new skills. From computer hacking to aircraft repairs, flying to medical training; I've got the lot and can do just about anything I set my mind to. I'm not saying I love the job, but it keeps a roof over my head, fuel in my vehicles and ammo in my weapons. There have been jobs I wouldn't take for one reason or another and also times where it was worth more to keep someone alive. It's not a life for everyone Carson, but we do what we can to survive.' Emily confessed, shrugging slightly. She couldn't bring herself to look up at Carson, worried about what he now thought of her.  
'I still don't fully understand Emily, but I know better than to judge people by their chosen job. Forgive me; I should never have pushed the issue.' Carson uttered, reaching across to take her hand gently in his own. She looked up slowly, trying to work out what he was thinking.  
'Carson… I…ye…what are ye doing?' she stammered, scarcely daring to hope.  
'I don't really know Emily, ye just looked so sad. What ails ye?' Carson replied, lightly running his thumb over the back of her hand.  
'Ye wouldna believe me if I told ye. How are ye Carson?' Emily uttered, fighting to maintain her composure.  
'I'm fine lass, just fine. Why do you ask?' he replied, leaning forward, confused.  
'There are rumours Carson, all over the net. Your time is drawing near, soon you will be dead.' Emily whispered, a single tear slipping down on cheek. Carson stared at her, blinking stupidly as the news sank in.  
'Are ye sure? I feel perfectly fine. As far as I know, there's no missions planned for me any time soon.' he asked finally, still trying to digest what she had said.  
'I don't know the details yet Carson, I only know what the rumour mill says. Yer time is coming and ye're going out with a mighty bang. Ever since I heard the story, I prayed ye would return so I could warn ye. I love ye Carson, more than I have ever loved someone before and to know yer goin' ta die tears me up inside. Promise me ye'll be careful Carson, promise.' Emily replied, looking away quickly.  
'Ye have my sincerest promise that I'll be careful Emily, I swear. I love ye too Emily, more than words can say. Will ye permit me?' he asked, rising and walking around the table. Emily turned to face him as he leant in, pressing his lips to hers. Emily froze for a moment before letting her eyes drift closed, losing herself in the kiss. One hand drifted up to cup his cheek as the other tangled in his shirt, drawing him closer. Carson moaned softly against her lips, his tongue lapping at her bottom lip, seeking entrance. Emily smiled against his lips, opening her mouth, their tongues dancing together.

They broke apart slowly, smiling.  
'Come, lay with me Carson. We mustn't waste a moment of our precious time together.' she uttered, taking his hand, their fingers tangling together.  
'Aye, that sounds good to me.' he replied, letting her drag him to the bedroom. Emily beamed as she slid her hands over his chest, trying to memorise every little detail about the man she had before her.  
'beautiful, absolutely beautiful.' she uttered, slipping her hands under his shirt and sliding them up, sending it soaring across the room, her own shirt following seconds later. 

***#***#***

Carson groaned as he slowly woke, arms wrapped securely around a warm, naked body. He slowly sat up, admiring her face in the half light.  
'My sweet highland lady, how I wish I could stay here beside you forever.' he uttered, kissing her temple lightly. Emily snorted, eyes slowly opening and she smiled.  
'Thank ye Carson, for sharing this one special moment with me. Ye truly are one of a kind.' she added, caressing his rough cheek softly.  
'Thank ye my love, for giving me a chance to share yer bed and enjoy yer beauty on so many levels. My time here with ye grows short, I will soon be returned to Atlantis, but I will never forget my promise to ye.' he replied, leaning into the touch for a few moments before rising and collecting his clothes from around the room. Emily sighed softly as she sat up, watching as he dressed, locking away the images for eternity.  
'Be brave Carson, and strong. Ye will always have a place here, what ever may happen to ye. Never forget me or what I feel for ye, I'll be watching, hoping the rumours are wrong.' she uttered, rising and walking over to him, slipping her arms easily around his waist, resting her head on his chest. Carson nodded as he held her, smiling softly.

When they finally broke apart, Carson dug a pen out of his pocket and moved to perch on the bed, carefully removing Emily's best picture off the side of her desk and laying it flat before writing something on it. Emily watched in fascination as he wrote before he tacked it back into place, rising to stand behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist.  
'Never forget how much I love ye Emily. Ye'll ne'er be far from my mind…kiss me my sweet, it is almost time.' he whispered, pulling her close as she turned around to face him. Their eyes drifted closed as their lips met; sealing the pact they had formed this day, a pact that would last on through the years.  
'I'll always love ye Carson, my brave highland man.' she whispered as they broke apart.  
'And I you, my precious highland princess. Be strong, I'll return if I can.' Carson replied, stepping away from her. Emily blinked back the tears as a brilliant light enfolded him, slowly wrapping around him before it vanished, taking her love away with it. She sighed and sunk onto the bed, eyes drawn to the picture Carson had been writing on earlier. Down the bottom was a short message and he'd signed it, his one last precious gift to her. It read:

Darling Emily, know that I will always love ye, no matter what happens to me. Be strong and know that I'll never leave yer side. Love is stronger than anything else life can throw at us. Much love, forever and always, Carson.

Emily smiled sadly, reaching out to caress the image softly, eyes drifting closed. She knew deep down he was never coming back, but his words were of great comfort as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Seven Months Later

Emily wept as she stared at the TV screen, watching the flag draped casket as they carried it through the gate.  
'I told ye to be careful Carson. You swore ye wouldna do anything stupid.' she uttered, shaking her head slowly. She had hoped he would return one more time before fate struck him down, but it wasn't to be. She lightly ran one hand over her expanded belly, smiling through her pain.  
'Rest assured though my brave highland prince, our son will know his father was a hero; that he died saving lives. He will bear you name with pride, Carson Beckett-Hunter, son of a hero. He will be a beacon in the darkness, a healer, just like his father.' she continued, wiping her eyes softly as the credits started rolling. She switched off the TV and rose, returning to the bedroom to sleep.

***#***#***

As she slept, she dreamed. Carson appeared to her, smiling with pride.  
'I tried my best my love, but I couldna let that lad die.' he uttered, beckoning her towards him. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, kissing his passionately.  
'It's a shame you will never meet your son, Carson junior.' she replied when they broke apart.  
'I'll be watching over ye both. I know ye'll do a fine job raising him to be a brave and loyal son of Scotland. Be strong my darling, I'm always here, right beside ye where I belong.' he added, one hand lightly resting on her stomach, the other caressing her cheek.  
'I will Carson; he'll be an example to all Scots everywhere. I'll miss ye Carson, until the day I dee.' she insisted, laying her head on his shoulder.  
'I know Emily, I know. Be brave my beautiful highland princess.' Carson replied, slowly breaking away and walking backwards, never breaking eye contact. Emily went to follow, but her feet wouldn't move.  
'Don't go Carson, please, don't go.' she implored, tears streaming down her face.  
'I'll never be gone as long as you remember. I'll always be close, just remember me. Goodbye for now my sweet love, until we meet again.' Carson replied, still moving away.  
'Goodbye Carson, until we meet again. We will remember ye, our brave, strong and caring highland man.' Emily whispered, watching as Carson vanished into the mists, leaving nothing but a warm feeling in her heart and those few words on a picture.

Emily slept on, a tiny smile on her face. One hand rested possessively on her stomach, guarding Carson's legacy as the other one rested against his picture, one finger resting over his signature, a final gesture of undying love.


End file.
